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In preparation for Bridgeland Street Open Day on 17 September, our research continues. One surprising finding is that, although it was built for merchants and well known for its solicitors and doctors, it was actually a street of women! In 1861 about three quarters of the adults living there were women, including almost all the…
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With the Heritage Open Day events planned for Bridgeland Street on 17 September, we continue with another piece about the history of the street. Knowing how much the late contributor to this column would have liked this event, we have edited an article about The Custom House from an original article published by Peter Christie…
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Bidefordians are rightly proud of the antiquity of our Grammar School, celebrated on a plaque attached to Bridge Buildings, where the school once stood. But that history hides an uncomfortable truth – that the school was for boys only and there was no similar provision for girls. Bideford Grammar School only started to admit girls…
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There are many fine houses in the Bideford and Northam districts, Victorian and older – although they have been much modified. Knapp House is one of the foremost. The placename Knapp is fairly common in Devon and refers to a hill or ridge. Bideford Archive has several documents relating to various sales or lettings of the…
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In February, the Navantia shipyard hosted dignitaries from government and the Royal Navy to celebrate work starting on the bow sections of the new Fleet Solid Support Ship RFA Resurgent for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.At 216 metres long, these new ships will provide munitions, spares, food and other essential stores to naval vessels enabling the Royal Navy to remain…
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Have you ever noticed a brass plaque outside 24 Bridgeland Street, which reads ‘Rooker and Bazeley, Solicitors’? The antique Gothic script in the word ‘solicitors’ suggests there is a long history attached to the building, as indeed there is in houses up and down what is one of Bideford’s most emblematic streets. The difference is…
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The history of Bideford and the Torridge is inextricably linked to tides, which are dictated by the moon’s gravity. Early civilisations recognised the correlation between tides and the phase of the moon but could not accurately predict tidal behaviour. It was Eudoxus of Cnidus, an ancient Greek astronomer, who as early as 356 BCE explained…
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It is good news that Westward Ho! beach has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status for the 23rd year running and a huge accolade for the many local people and organisations who keep our natural heritage safe and clean. But news has also arrived that Westward Ho! is one of the worst beaches in the…
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As Britain started to recover from the austerity of the Second World War, a national festival took place to boost morale and showcase Britain’s achievements. In Bideford, the Bideford District Trades Exhibition ran from 11-16 June 1951. Housed in one of the largest marquees ever seen in Bideford, the festival got off to a successful…
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In the summer of 1876, the first Plimsoll line, marking the maximum depth to which vessels can be loaded with cargo, appeared on the side of ships. It is now the 150th anniversary of this groundbreaking piece of legislation. In Victorian times it was common practice for many ship owners to deliberately overload vessels to maximise…
